Amendment Watch: Consumers’ Counsel Funding Restoration
The Ohio Consumers Counsel is an advocate for consumers of utilities in Ohio, working to ensure that rate increases, typically approved by the Public Utilities Council are fair and reasonable, and that consumer complaints are addressed appropriately. Governor Kasich’s proposed budget cuts the funding for this agency in half, despite the fact that it is funded not through state tax revenue, but from an assessment on utilities themselves. In other words, the drastic cut must represent a policy choice rather than an act of fiscal responsibility, as it does nothing to fix the state’s budget woes.
The cut to the Consumers Counsel earned the Kasich administration the very first “Taxpayer Rip-Off of the Week Award” from left-leaning policy shop, Innovation Ohio.
Gongwer News Service is reporting (requires subscription) that multiple House GOP members are working on amendments that, depending on which one is enacted, could restore all or part of the agency’s funding. The Mansfield (home of Speaker Batchelder) City Council voted on a resolution in support of restoring OCC funding, pointing out that the cut merely puts $4 million into the coffers of utility companies and doesn’t save utility customers a dime.
We’ll keep you posted on additional amendments that are reportedly in the works.
